The prime minister has said a new law will be introduced so people wrongly convicted in the Horizon scandal are “swiftly exonerated and compensated”.
In the first Prime Minister’s Questions of the year, Rishi Sunak said he plans to make sure those convicted as part of the Post Office scandal get exonerated through an act of parliament.
As well as announcing the introduction of new primary legislation – which has yet to be published or given a timetable for voting – Mr Sunak said those who were part of the group litigation order against the Post Office would be eligible for an “upfront payment of £75,000”.
More than 700 sub-postmasters and sub-postmistresses were prosecuted for accounting errors relying on data from the faulty Horizon software.
Once they are exonerated, the government has confirmed sub-postmasters and sub-postmistresses will be eligible for at least £600,000 compensation, depending on their circumstances.
More on Post Office Scandal
Related Topics:
The scheme applies to England and Wales.
Speaking in the House of Commons, Mr Sunak said: “Mr Speaker, this is one of the greatest miscarriages of justice in our nation’s history.
Advertisement
“People who worked hard to serve their communities had their lives and their reputations destroyed through absolutely no fault of their own.
“The victims must get justice and compensation. Sir Wyn Williams’ inquiry is undertaking crucial work to undo, to expose what went wrong, and we’ve paid almost £150m in compensation to over to 2,500 victims.
“But today I can announce that we will introduce new primary legislation to make sure that those convicted as a result of the Horizon scandal are swiftly exonerated and compensated.
“We will also introduce a new upfront payment of £75,000 for the vital [Group Litigation Order] group of postmasters.”
The prime minister’s spokesman said the intention was to have the legislation introduced within weeks and compensation paid out by the end of the year.
Kevin Hollinrake, the postal minister, provided an update to the Commons following PMQs on how they plan to deal with people who did commit a crime that get their conviction overturned.
He said that all those claiming compensation will sign a statement of truth to say they did not commit the crimes of which they were accused.
“Anyone subsequently found to have signed such a statement untruthfully will be putting themselves at risk of prosecution or fraud,” Mr Hollinrake said.
The minister admitted this was not “foolproof”, but it was a “proportionate” device “which respects the ordeal with which these people have already suffered”.
He also said the government was considering whether people who had their appeals refused already would have their convictions overturned.
Numerous ways to fast-track the overturning of convictions had been mooted prior to today’s announcement.
Some had called for a mass appeal before the Court of Appeal, while others wanted legislation to overturn the convictions or even a pardon from the King.
It is not clear exactly how the mechanics of the Commons overturning hundreds of prosecutions will work.
Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, indicated earlier this week that his party would support an attempt through law to overturn the convictions.
Responding to Mr Sunak today, Sir Keir said: “Mr Speaker, I heard what the prime minister just said about the Post Office scandal – it is a huge injustice.
“People lost their lives, their liberty and their livelihood, and they’ve been waiting far too long for the truth, for justice, and for compensation.
“So I’m glad the prime minister is putting forward a proposal.
“We will look at the details, and I think it’s the job of all of us to make sure that it delivers the justice that is so needed.”
Spreaker
This content is provided by Spreaker, which may be using cookies and other technologies.
To show you this content, we need your permission to use cookies.
You can use the buttons below to amend your preferences to enable Spreaker cookies or to allow those cookies just once.
You can change your settings at any time via the Privacy Options.
Unfortunately we have been unable to verify if you have consented to Spreaker cookies.
To view this content you can use the button below to allow Spreaker cookies for this session only.
Bosch will cut up to 5,500 jobs as it struggles with slow electric vehicle sales and competition from Chinese imports.
It is the latest blow to the European car industry after Volkswagen and Ford announced thousands of job cuts in the last month.
Cheaper Chinese-made electric cars have made it trickier for European manufacturers to remain competitive while demand has weakened for the driver assistance and automated driving solutions made by Bosch.
The company said a slower-than-expected transition to electric, software-controlled vehicles was partly behind the cuts, which are being made in the car parts division.
Demand for new cars has fallen overall in Germany as the economy has slowed, with recession only narrowly avoided in recent years.
The final number of job cuts has yet to be agreed with employee representatives. Bosch said they would be carried out in a “socially responsible” way.
About half the job reductions would be at locations in Germany.
Bosch, the world’s biggest car parts supplier, has already committed to not making layoffs in Germany until 2027 for many employees, and until 2029 for a subsection of its workforce. It said this pact would remain in place.
Advertisement
The job cuts would be made over approximately the next eight years.
The Gerlingen site near Stuttgart will lose some 3,500 jobs by the end of 2027, reducing the workforce developing car software, advanced driver assistance and automated driving technology.
Other losses will be at the Hildesheim site near Hanover, where 750 jobs will go by end the of 2032, and the plant in Schwaebisch Gmund, which will lose about 1,300 roles between 2027 and 2030.
Its remaining German plants are also set to be downsized.
While Germany has been hit hard by cuts, it is not bearing the brunt alone.
Earlier this week, Ford announced plans to cut 4,000 jobs across Europe – including 800 in the UK – as the industry fretted over weak electric vehicle (EV) sales that could see firms fined more for missing government targets.
Cambridge University’s wealthiest college is putting the long-term lease of London’s O2 arena up for sale.
Sky News has learnt that Trinity College has instructed property advisers to begin sounding out prospective investors about a deal.
Trinity, which ranks among Britain’s biggest landowners, acquired the site in 2009 for a reported £24m.
The O2, which shrugged off its ‘white elephant’ status in the aftermath of its disastrous debut in 2000, has since become one of the world’s leading entertainment venues.
Operated by Anschutz Entertainment Group, it has played host to a wide array of music, theatrical and sporting events over nearly a quarter of a century.
The opportunity to acquire the 999-year lease is likely to appeal to long-term income investment funds, with real estate funds saying they expected it to fetch tens of millions of pounds.
Trinity College bought the lease from Lend Lease and Quintain, the property companies which had taken control of the Millennium Dome site in 2002 for nothing.
More from Money
The college was founded by Henry VIII in 1546 and has amassed a vast property portfolio.
It was unclear on Friday why it had decided to call in advisers at this point to undertake a sale process.
Advertisement
Trinity College Cambridge did not respond to two requests for comment.
Clothing stores were particularly affected, where sales fell by 3.1% over the month as October temperatures remained high, putting shoppers off winter purchases.
Retailers across the board, however, reported consumers held back on spending ahead of the budget, the ONS added.
Just a month earlier, in September, spending rose by 0.1%.
Despite the October fall, the ONS pointed out that the trend is for sales increases on a yearly and three-monthly basis and for them to be lower than before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Retail sales figures are significant as household consumption measured by the data is the largest expenditure across the UK economy.
Advertisement
The data can also help track how consumers feel about their financial position and the economy more broadly.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
2:30
Business owners worried after budget
Consumer confidence could be bouncing back
Also released on Friday was news of a rise in consumer confidence in the weeks following the budget and the US election.
Market research company GfK’s long-running consumer confidence index “jumped” in November, the company said, as people intended to make Black Friday purchases.
It noted that inflation has yet to be tamed with people still feeling acute cost-of-living pressures.
It will take time for the UK’s new government to deliver on its promise of change, it added.
A quirk in the figures
Economic research firm Pantheon Macro said the dates included in the ONS’s retail sales figures could have distorted the headline figure.
The half-term break, during which spending typically increases, was excluded from the monthly statistics as the cut-off point was 26 October.
With cold weather gripping the UK this week clothing sales are likely to rise as delayed winter clothing purchases are made, Pantheon added.